Till Death Do Us Part The Alternative Story
by InvisibleInkling
Summary: This is a fic set in fourth year Harry/Cedric. The boys' romance is known to everyone in the school, except the Slytherins, of course. What happens when Draco finds out? Full summary inside
1. Bubbles

'Till Death Do Us Part (The Alternative to "How Far Can I Go")

Summary: This is a fic set in fourth year (the boys are very mature for their age!) Harry/Cedric. The boys' romance is known to everyone in the school, except the Slytherins, of course. What happens when Draco finds out? The Triwizard tournament leaves the boys searching for stress-relief. ;) Cedric's death puts Harry in a place he never thought he'd be.

A/N: Okay so my friend ILuvRumbleroar wrote the story "How Far Can I Go", which you should read, she's wonderful. Her story is Cedric/O.C. Then she came up with the brilliant idea to write a Harry/Cedric fic, and having the passion for boyXboy fic that I do, I volunteered to write it. She is my plot angel, because my mind is full of flufftastic fluffiness, and a wonderful reference to the technicalities as well. Thank you.

Also, just so readers know, _Flashbacks _will be in _italics_, however, italics are not necessarily flashbacks. **Direct quotes from the book will be bold.**

Disclaimer: All characters and most scenarios in this story belong solely to the lovely J.K. Rowling. Because seriously, do you think if I owned Harry Potter, I would be **here**, and there would be no **boy love?**

Okay, enough of my rambling, on with the story!

**Till Death Do Us Part: Chapter One**

Rays of early morning sunlight slanted through the window next to Harry Potter's four-poster bed in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. Gentle warmth caressed the muscular torso of one peacefully sleeping Cedric Diggory.

Cedric Diggory? (**A/N: Review if that's exactly what you just thought!)**

_Cedric, his father Amos, Harry, Hermione, and all the Weasley's stood at the top of the hill, Amos Diggory holding the moldy looking old boot that was the Portkey that would transport them to the Quidditch World Cup._

**Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen. He was captain of the Hufflepuff House Quidditch Team at Hogwarts.**

"_**Hi" said Cedric, looking around at them all. **His eyes had lingered on Harry for a moment, long enough for Harry to think he saw something there, and Harry blushed despite himself. _

_ After Amos and Mr. Weasley exchanged some pleasant chit-chat, they all gathered 'round the Portkey. _

_ **"You just need to touch the Portkey, a finger will do" **said Mr. Diggory. Harry snickered at the double meaning in that statement, excluding the bit about the Portkey of course. He glanced at Cedric, who blushed as he understood the humor. _

_ As they all laid a touch on the Portkey, Harry felt a strong jerk behind his navel. His feet were lifted from the ground and he squeezed his eyes shut as he began to feel a little nauseous. Suddenly, **his feet slammed into the ground, Ron staggered into him, and he fell over,** setting off a domino effect that sent him barreling straight into Cedric, pinning him to the ground under Harry. As Harry felt something grow uncomfortable underneath him, he scrambled from atop Cedric's languid form, both boys blushing madly..._

Ever since that awkward incident, the boys had been lovers, "Hogwarts cutest couple". It was no secret, hell, the whole school knew by now, even though it was early in the year. Teachers, all the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and Harry was sure the Ravenclaws weren't oblivious either. Everyone knew, except the Slytherins, and their greasy-haired Head of House. How or why the rest of the school had kept them a secret from the supposedly cunning Slytherins, Harry was at a loss to know. He was beginning to suspect Dumbledore and some sort of enchantment were involved.

But right now he refused to worry about that, not with Cedric here, in his bed, so close. Harry shifted closer to Cedric's body so that his nose barely brushed against the smooth skin of Cedric's back. The springs in the bed creaked loudly, rousing Harry's submissive into early morning half-sleep.

Harry trailed his lips slowly up Cedric's spine, reaching his neck and sucking gently on the juncture with Cedric's broad shoulder blade. Harry moved his mouth to Cedric's ear and nibbled it lightly as he whispered "Cedric love, time to wake up." Harry trailed his hand up the back of Cedric's thigh and pleaded quietly "Awake, my love, it's so much more fun for both of us that way, don't you think?" He moved his strong hands to Cedric's shoulders and began massaging them lovingly, as he had noticed that the boy tended to sleep in uncomfortable positions, and that he grew quite cranky when this caused him pain.

Cedric moaned and stretched as he awoke fully, and Harry kissed the back of his neck, and he rolled over to face Harry and planted a shy kiss on his lips. Harry smiled.

"Good morning love" said Cedric quietly.

"Good morning" said Harry, whose nose suddenly wrinkled in distaste.

"What is it?" asked Cedric, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at his panic-stricken expression.

"Relax" replied Harry, still chuckling, "I just really hate Mondays!"

Cedric exhaled. "Oh" he sighed with relief, and he smiled.

Harry rose from the bed and pulled the covers back with a flourish, thinking_ TA-DA! _as he exposed Cedric's body. Harry appraised his boyfriend for a moment, impressed at his repeat conquest, leaned down and kissed his soft lips heatedly, stroking his sculpted chest. "Really, Ced, please relax, you need to be more sure of yourself, you're beautiful and I love you." Harry grinned and Cedric blushed _again,_ then Harry headed for the bathroom, swaying his hips _just a bit_ for Cedric's benefit. He heard Cedric make a sound, which he immediately interpreted as in indication of want and passion, or maybe that was the love clouding his own mind influencing his judgment. Abruptly, Harry whirled and beckoned to Cedric slowly as he reached the bathroom door.

Cedric stood up and closed the space between them in three elegant strides. Harry marveled at the grace with which his lover carried himself. As Cedric reached the door, Harry slyly reversed their positions so that Cedric was backed up against the door. Harry began ravaging Cedric's neck with kisses, sucking and biting lightly until Cedric moaned thickly. Harry pulled back slightly and whispered "Shower with me?"

"My...pleasure." Cedric managed as Harry touched and stroked Cedric's body all over, memorizing every detail. Cedric would never admit it, but he and Harry both knew he _lived_ for this kind of attention.

"The pleasure's all mine love" Harry purred, and the subtly detectable change in Harry's anatomy told Cedric this was true.

Cedric opened the bathroom door as Harry continued to attack his neck. The pair backed into the large bathroom. Harry pulled away briefly and turned on the water and tested the temperature with the hand that wasn't locked in Cedric's hair. Then he took Cedric's hand and pulled him under the steaming spray.

Harry stood there, holding Cedric firmly by the hips until they were both sufficiently soaked. Harry then picked up a bottle of shampoo and drawled "Now, let's wash that pretty hair of yours, shall we?"

Cedric turned and faced into the spray with his back to Harry, who began working the shampoo gently into Cedric's beautiful dark brown hair. He placed wet kisses on Cedric's neck and along his collarbone and let his hands follow the trails of shampoo bubbles down Cedric's back. He slowly ground his hardness into Cedric's lower back and Cedric moaned submissively from sensory overload. Harry chuckled in Cedric's ear and ground harder.

Seamus Finnegan came stomping up the staircase, shouting in that Irish accent that Harry secretly found adorable, "C'mon you git, get down here of you'll be late for breakfast...again! And get the bloody Hufflepuff out of OUR bathroom!

Cedric turned to Harry and sighed, "They don't like me very much, do they?" He looked hurt.

"They're just jealous because you're so sexy but they can't have you because you're mine forever!" laughed Harry, kissing Cedric lightly, cheering him up again with flattery and attention. He smiled, which made Harry happy. His love was so easy to please sometimes.

The boys hastily washed up, had a little too much fun blow-drying Cedric's hair, and hurried down to the common room.

Fred and George burst into laughter when the boys came down together, laughing and touching like lovers.

"Oh, look, it's Pretty-Boy Diggory, bedded by our Ickle-Harrykins...again!" The boys laughed hysterically and Harry fumed. It angered him how the twins could make him sound like a whore _and_ a small child in the same sentence, and it angered him more when they insulted Cedric.

"Sod off, and don't think I didn't hear you two wanking each other off last night, that's_ twincest!_" Harry yelled in the twins faces. For once, the identical redheds actually blushed, Harry stalked over to a table in the common room where he had left his books when Cedric had arrived at the tower last night, and began gathering his school things and shoving them into his bag forcefully. Cedric followed him gracefully, and kissed his cheek from behind "C'mon love, don't be like that, they're just prats, but we knew that, and they mean no harm." Harry chuckled at Cedric's exact assessment of the twins. He turned, smiled as he looked into Cedric's bright, grey eyes and took his hand, and the two lovers left through the Gryffindor portrait hole.

**A/N: Like? Love? Hate? I'm not sure what I think of this, but it's the first chapter so I'm hoping the story gets better! And of course, review! I can't improve my writing if I don't know what people think is good! Thanks readers!**


	2. Changes

Chapter 2

**A/N: So sorry this took so long. This note is going to be long because I have a little very embarrassing story for you all. So, this week I went to a Christian summer camp, and I brought my fanfic notebook with me. Unfortunately, a page containing most of this chapter fell out of my book on the "challenge course". It got back to my counselor, she read it, then sat me down and in the nicest way possible told me that homosexuality is a sin (I am straight, BTW) and that I should stop writing my fic because it doesn't "glorify God". Pssh, sure, you keep thinkin' I'll do that sweetie!**

**So I had to rewrite most of this chapter, which is part of why it took so long!**

**Enjoy!**

Harry had temporarily forgotten that Hogwarts had guests, students from the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons wizardry schools, but he was jerked back to reality as he entered the Great Hall with Cedric and departed to the Gryffindor table. Fred and George continued to hassle Harry about Cedric so he eventually just tuned them out and turned his attention to Dean and Seamus, who were talking excitedly about the selecting of Champions for the Triwizard Tournament that was to take place that evening.

Harry was painfully reminded of when Cedric had put his name into the Goblet of Fire. Harry had been vehemently against the idea, given the death toll of previous Tournaments. They had had a huge row, leaving both boys feeling hurt and sleeping alone for the night.

_"Are you bloody _insane_?" Harry was hysterical, Cedric near to tears with desperation. "You could die, Cedric, and that would kill me too!"_

_ "I have to do this, Harry! I have to prove my worth to my sodding father because he's still sore about me being gay! And think of my house, Harry, Hufflepuff isn't the most glorified!" Cedric continued, voice gradually rising in volume, "but of course _you_ wouldn't understand that, you with your sodding Gryffindor courage and eternal fame!"_

_ "Oh, real original Cedric" Harry bit back "play the 'you wouldn't understand because you're famous!' card. Brilliant! Frankly, I don't think _you_ understand what it would be like for me if you got hurt, what it would be like to lose you, for me to suffer that loss! It would destroy me!"_

_ "But this isn't about you!" Cedric yelled, but his voice softened abruptly when he saw Harry wince and said "Trust me Harry, if I didn't have a damn good reason to do this, I wouldn't put either of us through it! Now, I'm going to bed. Talk to me when you've calmed down, won't you?"_

_ With this, Cedric turned and left the empty classroom where they often came to be alone. As the door closed behind him, the sound echoed hollowly through the room. Left utterly alone with himself, Harry sat down at a desk and cried quietly for what seemed like hours. When he had no energy or tears left, he trudged up the grand staircase, entered his common room, sat heavily in a large armchair and stared into the fire, worries flooding his mind, until he dozed into a restless and fitful sleep._

The next few days had been living hell for both teens. Harry worried about the dangers that could be coming in Cedric's near future if he was, Meriln forbid, chosen as a champion, and Cedric fought a raging battle within himself between his desire to please his father, and Harry's point of view, which was, admittedly, centered around keeping him alive, regardless of Harry's reasons. And both

boys held a fear, a looming worst case scenario in the back of their minds, in which they were never able to win back the love of the other.

Finally, when Harry almost couldn't take the loneliness any longer, (but of course he wouldn't go to Cedric himself! What kind of dominant would he be then? It was a matter of pride.) Cedric pulled him into the Room of Reqirement after dinner that night.

_"Harry" Cedric whispered, sounding pained "I'm so sorry_. _I understand now. Forgive me, please!"_

_ "Cedric" Harry spoke fiercely "I love you. I forgave you days ago."_

_ "Thank you love" Cedric sighed, sounding relieved, like the weight of the world had just been lifted from his shoulders._

_ "Pleasure's all mine love, Merlin I've missed you!" Harry said blithely, cradling Cedric's face in his hands and kissing him sweetly. Cedric moaned lightly at the long overdue contact with his dark-haired love. Cedric's sounds of passions neglected drove Harry to deepen the kiss, pleading for entrance to Cedric's mouth. Upon being granted access, Harry promptly devoured him. _

_ Cedric's hands knotted in Harry's black hair and pulled gently at the strands. Suddenly, Harry found himself on his back, pressed flush against the seat of a red velvet sofa that had appeared to better suit their task. Harry's mind suddenly cleared as he realized with horror that he was...on the bottom? What the fuck? At this realization, Harry began to struggle against Cedric to regain dominance. Damn Quidditch for making the boy so strong!_

_ "What the hell, I'm supposed to be the dom-_

_ "Quiet Harry" Cedric whispered, his breath hot and his full lips moist against Harry's skin as he spoke "Let me show you what it could be like if _ I _was_ your _ dominant."_

_ Before a word of protest could pass Harry's lips, Cedric came crashing down on him, his tongue invading Harry's mouth without permission, spoken or otherwise. Cedric's strong hands held Harry's shoulders down against the plush velvet seat as he struggled._

_ "That's right, Harry, struggle, fight me, Gods, you're _so _hot when you're angry" Cedric moaned into Harry's ear. Harry continued to struggle for a minute, then shocked Cedric by suddenly melting into his touch, submitting to him. Cedric chuckled darkly and pressed himself harder against Harry's body, eliciting a quiet moan from the smaller teen._

It was as if Harry hadn't submitted to Cedric of his own accord. Instead, a voice had invaded Harry's mind, a seductive whisper that begged "Stop fighting it, Harry, you know you love it."

Of course, the other 97% of Harry's mind had been screaming "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Where does he get the nerve to _take _you like this? Fight!"

But it was the heated whisper of a voice from Harry's memory that won out, because when it spoke, when _he _spoke, Harry realized why he was enjoying this unprecedented turn of events so much. This was the smooth, mocking drawl of an old flame, none other than the Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy.

**A/N: Ooh a switching of roles! And...Draco? Whaaaaaat? Review! It makes me happy and motivates me to write, so maybe I can get the next chapter up sooner. BTW, sorry for the crazy amount of flashback in this chapter, but it was basically all from Harry's memory so...Review!**


	3. Memories

Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3! Took awhile, and I apologize for that. It's a bit longer, too, I think. Minor Hermione bashing. Very minor. Angst and fluff. Enjoy!**

Harry was pulled out of his confusing memories by Hermione, snapping her fingers in his face irritably. He loved her to death of course, but she could be a pain.

"Helloooooo, Earth to Harry! I asked if you finished your Transfiguration essay! It's due today you know!" Her zeal for schoolwork could be annoying when he had more pressing issues on his mind. Like the voice of a past lover invading his head whenever Cedric touched him. And the fact that he was beginning to think that there was a slight chance that he might, maybe, possibly, kind of like it.

Still, her half worried, half exasperated expression prompted him to think about his homework for a second, in that strange Hermione way of hers.

_Shit, _Harry thought, he had only written a few inches of parchment the night before, out of the three feet that was due next period.

"I think you and I both know the answer to that question", Harry evaded, laughing good naturedly. Hermione, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, shook her head, and hurried off in the direction of her next class, yelling to him over her shoulder: "Harry James Potter, will you ever learn?"

"Probably not" Harry said quietly to the empty air in front of him as Hermione rounded the corner. _Great, now he was talking out loud to no one in particular, __**and**__ hearing voices in his head, he really was going mad._

"Probably not what, love?" Harry heard Cedric's voice from behind him, and felt Cedric's hands snake around his waist. _Snake...oh Merlin. _His eyes darted about the hallway instinctively for the presence of any Slytherins, and to his dismay, he found himself searching specifically for the familiar platinum blonde crown of..._NO! I refuse to think his name!_

He turned to Cedric, and saw his happy expression change when his eyes met Harry's. Before he could say anything, Harry leaned up and kissed him swiftly on the mouth, lingering for only a moment and then pulling away. _No voice this time,_ he thought, mentally sighing in relief, consoling himself. But had it been enough to prove whatever it was he was trying to prove to himself? His stomach stirred with doubt.

Transfiguration was Harry's next class. In an effort for precautionary House unity, Dumbledore had mixed the classes to contain students from all four Houses. And guess who was in Harry's Transfiguration class as of late? He mentally groaned and cursed his schedule for being so inconvenient. But the upside was he had the class with Cedric. They clasped hands and headed at a leisurely pace toward McGonagall's classroom.

As they traveled down a corridor that seemed particularly empty of students for the moment, Cedric suddenly detached himself from Harry's hand and stood languidly against the wall of a small, out of the way alcove. He beckoned to Harry, a mischievous expression dancing across his handsome features.

"Come here" Cedric purred.

"Cedric, we have to get to-", Harry began, he already didn't have his essay done, being late would only lose him House points and maybe win him a detention. And he was afraid of what his subconscious would dredge up if Cedric tried anything remotely intimate with him right now. And he couldn't seem to shake off a nagging feeling that they were being watched. _Exhibit C, evidence towards the "Harry's Going Mad" theory. _Harry stiffened on the spot and his feet refused to move, as if by survival instinct.

"I said _come here Harry" _Cedric said, eyes darkening. The demanding tone he used caused something to stir deep within Harry, and suddenly a memory assaulted his mind.

_Draco Malfoy, on his knees, mouth open and waiting. And the voice again, his voice, breathy and lustful, moaning "Come here Harry...you know you want it. Show me how much you want it, Harry"..._

He was pulled back to reality by Cedric's voice, harsher now "Harry, I said _come here, NOW."_

His mind fought back against the memory with reason, saying "_Bloody hell, he's your lover, not a bloody vampire!" Harry suppressed memories of pale skin, and dark eyes, and being bitten, as his "rational" mind screamed "Damn it, stop that, MOVE!"_

Finally, Harry's feet carried him forward until Cedric placed his hands on the small of his back and pulled Harry flush against his toned body, kissing him fiercely until he pulled back, panting for breath.

"Cedric I...I want you..."

Cedric laughed and whispered in Harry's ear "I'm yours already" and proceeded to snog him senseless, hungrily exploring the warm cavern of his mouth.

Harry tore his mouth away again as Cedric tried to deepen the kiss, and attempted to finish his breathless request.

"No, I...I want you to be my dominant."

An expression somewhere between a grin and a smirk, that reminded him so much of a certain blonde that he refused to name, crossed Cedric's face as he answered.

"I thought you'd never ask. Never been much of a submissive type myself, really. Why fight who you really are?" Cedric breathed, leaning down to kiss Harry sweetly this time. His thoughts swam and he struggled for coherency. Finally, Cedric retreated and took Harry's hand again, and whispered "I love you" and smiled, and it reached his eyes. As they continued down the corridor, now thoroughly late for class, Harry regained coherent thought processes. Little did he or his lover know, Harry's intuition had been correct, they were being watched from a discreet place, by the one person Harry most hoped never found out about them.

If Harry was being honest with himself, being dominant wasn't much his cup of Earl Gray either. It made sense, when he thought about it. He was always trying to make everyone else happy, keep everyone else safe. It was in his nature to put himself last. But what he craved was to be protected, to be loved. Lack of parent figures had made him self sufficient, t_hat's why there was so much chemistry last year with...with Draco. _His defenses cracked, and he allowed himself to think the name. But that lack also left a void within him, the inner child that just wanted protection and love. And Draco, and Cedric, both filled that void. The reason he tried being dominant was, after Draco left, he felt broken, so he put up walls and refused to submit to anyone, especially a lover. But Cedric was right, this was who he was. He genuinely enjoyed being submissive, he loved Cedric deeply, but when Draco's voice invaded his thoughts, he felt adulterous. He felt as if he were taking pleasure from them both, and that felt undoubtedly wrong. But still, Harry got some kind of rush from it, and his selfish mind refused to fight the onslaught of memories that gave him such pleasure. And it scared him.

His mind chanted _Cedric, Cedric, Cedric, Cedric..._trying to banish thoughts of any others, and he glanced down at their clasped hands for solace. A glance became a stare, and before he knew it, they were walking into McGonagall's room, holding hands. Harry gasped and dropped Cedric's hand as he looked up, right into the unwavering eyes of Draco Abraxas Malfoy.


	4. Champions

Chapter 4

**I feel the need to put a disclaimer on this chapter, and then there's the fact that I should have put on on the first chapter, so...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of these characters or settings. The rights to these characters, places, and some events belong to JK Rowling and various publishers. No copyright infringement or plagiarism is intended, so please don't sue me! **

**A/N: This is one of those "necessary" chapters, I tried not to make it sound too Rowling-esque. I reworded some things, Please don't sue me! Just a reminder, direct quotes from GoF are in bold, thoughts of people, for this chapter, and flasbacks, are in plain italics (oxymoron?). This chapter is a bit shorter. What did you guys think of the last chapter? Read and review!**

_... A glance became a stare, and before he knew it, they were walking into McGonagall's room, holding hands. Harry gasped and dropped Cedric's hand as he looked up, right into the unwavering eyes of Draco Abraxas Malfoy..._

Draco mouthed "_I know" _and Harry's eyes were fixed on him. McGonagall admonished the boys for being late, and Harry's face reddened under Draco's stare as he hurried to his seat beside Cedric near the back of the room.

Class passed slowly, and Harry felt uncomfortable as he felt Draco's eyes boring into him. Cedric sensed his tension and placed a hand on his thigh, rubbing in calming circles. Harry tried to take notes, but by the end of the period, he was horrified to realize he had doodled Cedric's name in elaborate calligraphy, which wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't intertwined with the name of the Slytherin he refused to acknowledge was sitting right in front of him. Harry, sighed heavily and shoved the offending parchment into his bag, stood and abruptly left the classroom. The rest of his day passed in much the same fashion, he had Divination with Cedric, luckily no platinum blondes were present in that class, then, when Trelawny was finished predicting his demise for the tenth time that semester, he headed down to the Great Hall for dinner, where he was abruptly reminded of Hogwarts' guests, having yet again forgotten.

Everyone was practically jumping out of their skins with excitement They, unlike Harry, had all day been intent on and were minutes away from knowing who the Triwizard Champions would be! Eager to be thinking of something other than the voices in his head and his inner emotional turmoil, Harry allowed himself to be swept up in the excitement. He honestly did want to know who the champions were, he _was _eager to know whether Cedric would be kept safe.

The Hall fell silent as Dumbledore finally rose to his feet and spoke.

**"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make it's decision", said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them to please come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table and go through into the next chamber"-he indicated the door behind the staff table- "where they will be receiving their first instructions."***

Dumbledore magically extinguished the torches lighting the Great Hall, leaving the student body softly illuminated by only the warm, dancing light coming from inside the carved pumpkins levitating above their heads. The now brilliantly bright blue-white flames dancing within the Goblet of Fire were painful on the eyes, so Harry focused his gaze on Dumbledore's calmly waiting face.

The Hall watched with bated breath for another minute, until the flames within the Goblet turned bright red, and it began to emit a stream of sparks. Then, suddenly, a piece of parchment jetted out of the goblet on a flame that shot into the air, causing many students to gasp and yelp with surprise. Dumbledore deftly caught the piece of parchment and read through his half-moon spectacles, in a loud, clear voice, as the flames in the goblet morphed back to blue-white, he announced:

"The champion for Durmstrang..." Dumbledore paused, reminding Harry of that annoying host on that Muggle television show that Aunt Petunia got so worked up about, _Britain's Got Talent_.

"...will be Victor Krum!"

The Hall erupted into applause, cheers, and congratulations, but the ruckus died abruptly as Dumbledore raised his hand to continue.

The atmosphere in the Hall tensed, and the silence was once again broken by a flame erupting from the goblet, bearing another scrap of parchment, which Dumbledore caught, and read aloud:

"The Champion for Beauxbatons", said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

More applause, mostly from the boys. The straight ones anyway.

"And now", said Dumbledore dramatically as a third piece of parchment was ejected from the Goblet, "The Hogwarts Champion is...Cedric Diggory!"

The noise in the Hall was ear-shattering, applause, cheers, and some cries of objection (from Ron and the Slytherins) Harry had to suppress the urge to hit something, Of all the people that put their names in that blasted goblet, why did Cedric have to be the one it spit out? He let his head fall to his hands in defeat. If there was a god, why did these things keep happening?

Harry glanced over at the Hufflepuff table and caught Cedric's gaze, which went from beaming to apologetic in an instant as he Cedric met his eyes. Cedric gazed at him and mouthed "I'm so sorry". Harry stared back at him and mouthed numbly "It's okay, I love you". Cedric smiled, and Harry knew that meant he loved him back.

"Well now", said Dumbledore cheerily, "we now have our three champions! Champions, please come up and go through that door behind the staff table. He gestured to the door that led into the next chamber. Then Dumbledore turned to address the rest of them

"Please show your school's champion the utmost support and give them as much encouragement as is wizardly possible. Merlin knows they will-"

Dumbledore stopped talking midsentence, and the cause was immediately apparent to everyone. The Goblet once again began spewing red sparks, and another column of flame jetted from it. Dumbledore for once looked perplexed, as he reached out and grabbed another piece of parchment from middair and read:

"Harry Potter"


	5. Conclusions

Chapter 5

**A/N: Has it been too long? I think so. I was so excited to get this up for you guys to read. I'm not sure what I think of it, so as always, I will need you guys to give me plenty of feedback. Speaking of that, I want to give a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who has read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story so far. It makes me so happy :) -wink wink-**

**By the way, shout-out to my friend ILuvRumbleroar (review if you know the reference), she was my wonderful inspiration and keeps me going by frequently asking "So, how's the Hedgehog fic going?" (Get it? Harry/Cedric=Hedric=Hedgehog. Cute right? :)) She is awesome.**

**Sooooooo without further ado, chapter 5!**

Harry entered the room with the other champions, and they were told that the first task would be in two months time, along with the rules, including _No champion may receive help from professors, students, or other champions. _Harry scoffed at that. _Yeah, right, my boyfriend and I are both in this tournament, facing deadly circumstances, _and _I'm best friends with Hermione Granger, and you think I'll do this bloody tournament single-handedly? Even if he wanted to, there was no bloody way that was going to happen. _

Harry forced himself to take deep, calming breaths. Cedric looked like he was about to pass out from shock, but he kept quiet. After Fleur stopped throwing her hissy fit, and Krum, well, he just continued to brood as always, without a glance toward Harry,Cedric finally managed to close his gaping mouth (Harry was beginning to worry his jaw would stay permanently dropped like that), and the initial shock of what had just happened began to slowly wear off as he walked like a sleepwalker back to the common room. Harry entered the common room and was swept up into a celebration that was quickly escalating into something Harry didn't want to stick around for, given the copious amounts of alcohol that many Gryffindors had apparently already consumed. Still, it was half and hour and two forced butterbeers later when he finally made it up the stairs to the dormitory and collapsed on his bed, exhausted.

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Harry was roused from a troubled sleep by a frantic tapping noise outside the window near his bed. Disgruntled, Harry rose drowsily from his bed, felt around blindly for his glasses on the nightstand, and, upon retrieving them, crossed the space between his bed and the window, struggling to place his glasses haphazardly on his nose. He pulled out his wand and cast a hasty _Lumos _as he let the owl that had woken him fly into his room. He quickly recognized the handsome black and white bird as Cedric's owl, Artemis. She stuck out her leg and Harry quickly untied and opened the small, rolled up parchment. It read:

_Dear Harry,_

_Meet me tomorrow night during the Witching Hour, on the Quidditch pitch. I have questions._

_Love, _

_Cedric_

Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes and forced them to focus as he stumbled around until he found parchment and a self-inking quill, and penned a sloppy reply.

_Cedric,_

_The Witching Hour? Don't we do stuff like that all the time? Yeah, I'll be there, but couldn't this have waited till breakfast? The Witching Hour was only a few hours ago, you know! But I forgive you._

_Your Love,_

_Harry_

Harry wasn't sure why he wrote "Your Love" rather than just "Love" or why he omitted the "Dear" at the beginning of his reply, but he reasoned that it to be because his feelings for Cedric, and more pressingly than he cared to admit, a certain Slytherin, were thoroughly confusing him for the time being. But the one constant was that Harry knew that he would always be Cedric's only "love". So he settled for reaffirming the pleasant obvious rather than attempting to sort out his strange feelings right then and there, at three in the morning, while he was half asleep. With that distorted reasoning on his mind, he fell once again into a fitful and intermittent sleep.

The next day at lunch, Cedric walked Harry to his table, and before departing, whispered in Harry's ear "See you tonight, my love". Harry shivered at the possessive statement, spoken as if quoted from last night's exchange. It made him feel secure, yet confused his emotions to a point where he began to feel ridiculous. Cedric loved Harry. Harry loved Cedric. Harry just wasn't sure if Cedric was the only one. And it frightened him a bit. Okay, more than a bit.

Inadvertently, Harry's eyes flickered to the table surrounded by green, and caught the stormy gray eyes of the boy in his memories. Draco caught him looking and bit his lip in what Harry interpreted as a suggestive manner while he smirked impishly back and mouthed "Hello, Potter". Harry blushed furiously and looked away. What the hell? Draco hadn't shown the slightest interest in him for so long. Why now, of all times? And why did it feel like he knew something?

..._Oh, no..._

_-Flashback-_

_Draco mouthed "I know" and Harry's eyes were fixed on him. McGonagall admonished the boys for being late, and Harry's face reddened under Draco's stare as he hurried to his seat beside Cedric near the back of the room..._

_-End flashback-_

_Oh Merlin...he _knew_!_

As lunch ended, Harry noticed with dismay that he had been so wrapped up in watching Malfoy that he had barely touched his food. He rose to his feet, still dissecting the strange expression that had graced Draco's face earlier in the meal. He hadn't seen that much mischief in those eyes since...well, let's not get into that. More than slightly unnerved, Harry headed for the Hall's exit in a confused daze, and got caught up in the post-meal outflow of students from the Hall. One moment, he was alone in his little bubble of distracted existence that had become the norm as of late, and the next minute, he felt a living, breathing entity come up close behind him. His stomach jumped and he thought desperately _Nonononono not him, not now! _Just as a breathy whisper spoke in his ear, closer than he thought, saying "If you ever get tired of Pretty-Boy Diggory over there, you know where to find me." Then, to his horror, he felt a hand smoothly stroke his arse as if in passing. _How dare he? He leaves and breaks my heart, and now he has the nerve to touch me like that? _Harry glared at the boy above him, and furious green met devilish gray.

"Fuck you Malfoy" Harry whispered dangerously.

"Right here? Now? In the Great Hall?" Draco replied with deceptively innocent eyes "Harry James Potter, you kinky bastard. It's been a while, but...I wouldn't say no." His eyes flashed and he grinned devilishly.

"Now you listen here Malfoy" Harry replied, struggling to keep his voice level and quiet "Cedric loves me and I love him back just as much. Only him. So whatever sick game you're playing you'd better stop it and fuck off right now before I do something we'll both regret."

"Is that a promise Harry?"

"I said _fuck off_ Draco!"

Harry realized his slip a moment too late, a wide smile spread across Draco's face and his eyes shined almost wistfully as he whispered "Ahh, it's been so long since my first name has passed those delicious lips of yours, Harry. It sounds so good, especially when you're angry with me."

To his horror, Harry actually blushed as a memory of a fight they once had, or rather, what happened after they made up, intruded into the angry haze that was his mind. At his blush, Draco's smile widened. He reached out and touched the heated flesh of Harry's cheek lightly, stroking down his jaw. Harry was enraged that, through the anger that clouded his senses, he at first did not notice Draco's touch until he whispered "You look bloody amazing when you blush like that" at which Harry became aware that his face was much too close for comfort. Or the safety of Draco's perfect face for that matter.

At his words though, at the feel of his very breath on Harry's skin, Harry snapped out of his enraged stupor. He smacked the blonde's hand away violently and growled "And don't you _ever _touch me again _Malfoy."_

Harry strode purposefully out of the Hall, and Draco's eyes followed him with the hunger of the hunter for his prey. Most students had long since left the Hall, but among the few remaining was Cedric, looking upon the quiet exchange with wide eyes. From his unfortunate vantage point, facing Harry's back, he had a full view of Draco's wide impish grin, glinting eyes, and gentle touches, yet no view of Harry's furious eyes and gritted teeth. And it was rather unfortunate also, that Cedric Diggory had a terrible habit of jumping to conclusions.


	6. Discoveries

Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow, I am proud of myself for finishing this chapter so quickly. As a result, I hope it is not crap. Shoutout to ILUV_Rumbleroar for reviewing, ;) and thank you so much to all my other reviewers/alert people/favoriters/READERS! I know this story moves really painstakingly slow, but something significant actually happens here, so R&R! Thanks again!**

**Chapter 6**

__That evening, Hermione helped Harry write his now overdue Transfiguration essay. This took even longer than it would usually, due to the fact that Harry didn't remember a thing even remotely related to the topic (what was the topic again?) thanks to, erm, _certain distractions _in that class.

When they (mostly Hermione) finally managed to fill the required length of parchment, it was 10:30 PM. Harry noticed the time and remembered that he was supposed to meet Cedric on the Quidditch pitch at 11:00.

"Well, now that that sodding pile of rubbish is out of the way, goodnight Hermione. Thanks again for helping me."

"No problem Harry. I'm off to bed too I think."

With that, Harry yawned, mostly for effect, though he realized he _was_ tired. On top of his confusion about Cedric and the insane amount of energy he expended trying futilely _not_ to think about Draco, there was also the looming issue of the first task to be dealt with. Harry avoided that train of thought, because he quickly found that when he thought (obsessed, more like) about the first task, time seemed to move in fast motion. And Harry still had zero ideas of what was coming or what he was going to do about it. Cedric hadn't said anything, so for all Harry knew, Cedric was clueless too. Perfect.

As he contemplated this, Harry had donned his Invisibility Cloak and left Gryffindor tower without a sound. He now walked swiftly through the labyrinth of halls, almost missing a moving staircase that he needed to descend to reach ground level. He jumped the last few stairs and winced as the _thump_ of his landing echoed through the corridor. Harry hastened to a jog until he reached the exit and stepped out onto Hogwarts' expansive grounds.

The cool night air felt good on his skin, it helped him clear his mind as he headed towards the pitch. Suddenly, he felt as if this was just what he needed, to see Cedric, to be close to him, just them, alone. He needed love, reassurance, and he needed to escape thoughts of _him, _er, forget his stresses for a while. Yes, that was it.

As Harry stepped onto the pitch, he could see Cedric standing against a goalpost. His expression was unreadable as Harry neared.

When Cedric was at arms length, Harry reached out to place his hands on Cedric's waist.

"Hello love", Harry said softly, smiling and shuffling closer to place a kiss on Cedric's lips. Harry kissed him sweetly, deeply, wanting to revel in the feeling, to lose himself in the sensation. But...no, something was wrong. Cedric wasn't responding. Harry pulled away with a quizzical expression.

"Ced, what's wrong?" he asked, growing slightly worried "What is it you wanted to ask me tonight, love?"

Cedric took a deep breath before answering, and when he did his voice was strained with the effort of keeping it even and quiet.

"Well I was going to ask you how it was possible for your name to come out of that goblet. But what I'd really like to know is why Draco fucking Malfoy was fawning all over you this afternoon!" His voice rose gradually as he continued. "There's something going on between you two, isn't there? I knew it from the beginning, really. I saw how broken you were and I wanted to help you love again. I loved you". Harry winced at his use of the past tense and felt his emotions creeping up on him "But I always knew you'd go running back to that _snake_ someday Harry. What happened? Why now?" Cedric finished, his eyes questioning. Harry broke down and the tears spilled over. He found the breath, and spoke:

"What? Cedric, no! N-Nothing's going on, I s-swear! Malfoy c-came up behind me today and started being a git. I t-told him to fuck off, multiple times, but he's Malfoy so he didn't! Please believe me, Ced, I love you, I would ne-"

"Don't _even _bother to lie to me Harry" Cedric choked, voice brimming with coming tears "I saw the way he smiled at you. I saw his _eyes, _Harry. I saw you, fidgeting and running a hand through your hair like you do when you're nervous". He laughed humorlessly to mask his tears, and began again.

"I couldn't see your face, your back was turned to me, but I'd bet my last Knut you blushed when he smiled at you like that."

There was a dreadfully uncomfortable pause, then he continued:

"He touched you, Harry. I stood there and watched him touch your face, and laugh and whisper something to you, and touch your _ass! _ And you did nothing!"

"That's not true, Cedric!" Harry finally got a word in. "I told him to fuck off, to never touch me again. I told the git I loved you, only you, and I do! I slapped his hand away when he had the _audacity _to touch me!" Harry sobbed.

"Not soon enough Harry. Don't lie, because I _saw everything_. I didn't hear, but I'd bet the little snake was trying to seduce you. And I saw enough to think that maybe it's best if we gave each other some space for a little bit. You need to figure out who you want, I won't share you Harry."

As Cedric said this, as cliched as it sounds, Harry felt his heart shatter into a million tiny, sharp fragments that seemed to pierce his chest as he sobbed. Cedric was right, he had no idea who he wanted, he was right to leave a boy who couldn't love him fully. Cedric was right. Harry felt like the rottenest git alive. And he was going to _kill _Malfoy.

"Cedric, I'm sorry, you're right, I can't love you fully, just give me a-"

Just then an ear-splitting, high-pitched wail pierced the night, and Harry's selfish mind that was focused on emotional self preservation immediately thought: _Saved by the...what the bloody hell was that anyway?_

"What the bloody hell was that?" Cedric breathed.

If Harry hadn't been so shaken, he might've laughed as Cedric voiced his own thoughts. Well, almost. He seized the distraction "I don't know, let's find out" Harry spoke quickly "It sounds like it's coming from Hagrid's hut!"

Harry awkwardly pulled the Invisibility Cloak over both himself and Cedric, forcing them into uncomfortably close proximity. Any other night, this would've been fine, even nice. But not tonight.

"Come on" Harry said, and they hurried up the hill towards the back side to Hagrid's abode.

The boys froze as soon as they were close enough to see what was making all the noise. Four massive reptilian creatures, enclosed by 150-meter high barbed wire fencing behind the hut. Each beast had a team of handers, pulling and tying long ropes attached to the creatures' various flailing limbs. One of them spouted a jet of fire from its mouth and Harry's suspicions were affirmed.

"_Dragons! _Dragons, Cedric! It's the first task! We have to fight dragon's!"

"_Bloody hell" _Cedric gasped, his breathing became shallow.

"I have to go" Harry whispered hastily, pulling them into the shadows and taking the cloak off of them both. With one last pleading look into Cedric's cold, yet sad steely gray eyes, Harry pulled the cloak over just himself and ran full tilt for the castle. Away from him.


	7. Confessions

**Hey guys! –****winces- . Please don't throw food at and/or otherwise kill the author. No author means no more story. Not that that makes a monumental difference, because it's been….WHOA, HOW LONG? Since I've updated. Anyway, I'm sorry guys, and thank you to my loyal readers, this story would not be what it is today, and was months ago, without you. Thank you.**

**A horrible case of writer's block and an inaccurate grasp on the state of the story is my reasoning for not having updated in so long. I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry….also this is short because I had to edit it to fit my current train of thought because its been so long. At least it's something?**

**Also, has anyone noticed that I cut Mad Eye Moody out of the story? He's hard to write in, and with the way I want the story to go, I can write it so he's not necessary. Thoughts? **

**Disclaimer: However many shooting stars, 11:11's, wishing fountains, birthday candles, or fallen eyelashes I wish on, I am not, and will never be the great J.K. Rowling, who owns everything in this story besides the plot.**

**And now, the much too long-awaited…. Chapter 7!**

Harry awoke slowly in the dark; the curtains on his four-poster had been spelled shut. Suddenly, Harry sat bolt upright as realization hit him. Today was the day of the first task. He groaned and lay down again, slowly this time as dizziness overtook him on account of his lack of sleep the previous night. When the room was stationary once again, Harry stood cautiously, dressed without thinking, and trudged down the stairs to the common room where Hermione immediately accosted him in a flurry of brown frizz and robes.

"Harry! I was about to come wake you! You can't miss breakfast today. You need your strength. She backed away slightly, looking distraught. "What's your plan again?"

Harry heaved a sigh. "Well, it's not much, but—"

"How can you not have a plan?" Hermione exclaimed in that special exasperated tone of hers, cutting him off. "You're going to get hurt! What if—"

Harry felt as if his head were going to spontaneously combust, and Hermione's stressed words were a spark, burning with increasing speed down a very short fuse attached to Harry's head. This time it was his turn to interrupt her rambling.

He snapped "Look, Hermione, I never thought I'd have to say this to you of all people, but _think _for a second! My only talent, really, is flying, so my grand plan must somehow involve a broomstick. Then there's Petrificus Totalus, and that nifty little summoning spell you insisted I learn!" His volume now bordered on shouting. "And _that_, Hermione Jean Granger, is the extent of my grand master plan. Deal with it. Except that you don't really have to, because you're not the one fighting for your bloody life against a sodding DRAGON in a few hours!"

His little rant now over, he paused, took a steadying breath, and concluded; "I will see you lot at breakfast." Before turning to walk numbly out of the common room. As the portrait swung shut, he heard a muffled sob, no doubt Hermione's. He'd take crap from Ron for that later, he knew, but right now, those were not his biggest problems.

Having nowhere to go after his outburst, Harry headed straight for the Great Hall for an early breakfast. The halls were silent due to the early hour. Suddenly, something (or rather, someone) grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him into an empty classroom. Ironically, it happened to be the very same one he and Cedric often used as a getaway.

"Hello Harry" a smooth voice purred. Harry's body stiffened. It was Draco.

_Of course it is_, Harry thought. As of late, the sensual ghosts of the blonde's voice in his head had left him alone. In that moment, it all came rushing back. Heat filled his body like warm tea (er, scalding tea) as Draco ran his pale, skilled hands, cold in comparison to Harry's burning flesh, up the sides of his abdomen and under his shirt. Harry was too shocked and confused to move, his brain wasn't sending coherent messages to his mouth or limbs. Abruptly, Draco spun him around and his almost lost his balance. The blonde clutched his hips and kissed him fiercely. Draco was dominant by sheer definition, and for a moment Harry couldn't help but give in, his submissive side winning out over all logic, as thoughts and whispers of his past drowned his conscious mind.

Then sanity surfaced, and his mind screamed; _Cedric! What about CEDRIC? Are you completely mad? What are you doing?_

As reality hit him hard, he shoved Draco back, the blonde's bony frame hitting the floor with barely a sound. Green eyes glared at silver orbs that laughed and danced with satisfaction.

"WHAT THE FUCK MALFOY?", he shouted, "I seem to recall telling you to fuck off and never touch me again! Apparently you're too self-absorbed to comprehend that! Now, if you'll excuse me, Highness, it's time for me to go risk my life! Again!"

Harry whirled around and proceeded to stalk angrily from the room. As he reached the door, he was about to turn the handle when Draco grasped him firmly around the waist and murmured hotly in his ear; "You liked that, a little too much I might say. Didn't you Harry?"

"Yes", Harry said with no forethought. _Shit, the git had him cornered now._

"Thought so", Draco whispered. He paused, and it was just his hot breath ghosting over Harry's neck until; "

"Harry?", Draco asked, sounding strangely small and vulnerable.

"Yes?" Harry asked, curious, but growing increasingly irritated all the same.

"I really hope you don't die."

**Okay all, I know this took forever and basically sucks but please, please review and let me know if I still have readers and if this is worth picking up again. Three reviews and I'll write another chapter, okay? A thousand apologies, again… .**


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